8 Best Emergency Radios in 2018

Anything that comes with the American Red Cross name on it is going to have to live up to some lofty expectations and thanks to Eton the FRX3 Weather Alert Radio does. This is an incredibly versatile, durable and practical survival radio that will keep you informed, keep your smartphone up and running, guide you through the darkness with its LED flashlight and never get lost due to the glow-in-the-dark locator. Add multiple charging/powering methods, a red emergency beacon and a headphone jack so you can hear what you need to hear and the FRX3 emergency radio belongs in your cabinet.

When a natural disaster is closing in around you information is vital. The FRX3 emergency radio from Eton is one of the best emergency radios out there. Tough, practical, easy to carry with an LED flashlight and emergency beacon the FRX3 will help you find your way to safety. The glow in the dark feature should be mandatory on all emergency gear and it’s a welcome addition here. The FRX3 emergency radio is easy to carry, hard to lose and never needs to be plugged in (although you can if you have the opportunity). Activate the “alert” function and you’ll receive emergency weather alerts and updates for your area as soon as they’re issued. Reception on all bands is typically excellent and the smartphone charger is vital to keeping you in touch if at all possible with the people who mean the most to you. The pedigree of this emergency radio plus the low cost and thoughtful engineering make it a tough, foundational piece of survival gear.

The RunningSnail MD-088s Emergency Radio is compact and versatile, tough, easy to use and has one of the brightest LED flashlights of any comparable weather radio. You get 3 convenient and foolproof ways of recharging the unit – hand crank, solar and USB – along with the ability to charge your mobile devices from it so you’re never out of touch with your loved ones. You also have the ability to run the device off of 3 AAA batteries if you have some handy. With all 7 NOAA channels accessible along with both the AM and FM bands you’ll have all the info you need to make informed decisions.

Whereas some emergency radios are big, bulky affairs the newly upgraded version of the RunningSnail MD-088s Emergency Weather Radio is blissfully light and compact. But it’s so much more than that. It’s also an invaluable power pack to have during an emergency so you can keep your other mobile devices charged (no adapter needed) and stay in touch with those who matter most. For about the price of a large pizza or a T-shirt you can have this potentially lifesaving emergency radio that will last for years and be the thing everyone rallies around when crisis strikes. Its light weight and compact construction also make it the perfect survival radio for taking into the woods on your next hiking or camping or hunting sojourn along with a first class field watch, survival knife and other key gear. You don’t have to be a survivalist to value survival and when it comes to surviving Mother Nature’s fury the MD-088s Emergency Radio is one piece of gear you definitely want in your corner.

The second of our RunningSnail entries is their MD-090 Solar Crank NOAA Emergency Radio. Like the MD-088s this one is built to take whatever Mother Nature can dish out and keep working so you can stay up to date on all the information pertinent to your situation and ultimate survival. It never pays to be unprepared for a natural disaster and with the MD-090 emergency radio you won’t be. It feeds off of a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that can be topped up by hand crank, solar panel or USB cable. And if you have some AAA batteries handy it will work with them as well. You’re never out of touch or in the dark with the MD-090 emergency radio.

The MD-090 emergency radio is a bit of an enigma because it looks like a cheap throwback transistor radio but it performs like a tough, high tech 21st century piece of hybrid tech, which is exactly what it is. Looks aside though the MD-090 emergency radio stands up to the weather if you’re caught outside and provides you the tools you need to navigate your way to the emergency shelter, higher ground or wherever you’re headed. Because it’s LED, the flashlight is much stronger than its 1 watt designation would indicate; producing the effective lumens of a much larger conventional flashlight. And that light is clearer and more focused as well. The hand crank doesn’t feel fragile like it does on some other emergency radios and the radio itself does an effective job sniffing out signals even when the weather has gone downhill. No home survival kit should be without this type of emergency radio.

The Sangean MMR-88 has earned its reputation as a solid, reliable emergency radio. It’s extremely compact, extremely durable and has an easy to read digital display which also monitors your charge level. The hand crank is smooth and efficient and the design is logical with everything easy to understand. This emergency radio is very stable when set it down so you don’t have to worry about it blowing away. And it has a built in jack for your headphones so important information doesn’t get drowned out by wind or other people’s conversations in the emergency shelter.

The Sangean MMR-88 is one of the handsomest emergency radios on the market. That wouldn’t mean much if was all the device had going for it but the MMR-88 is way more than just another pretty face. It weighs in at less than 1 pound so taking it with you if you have to evacuate isn’t going to be a problem. There’s a headphone jack so you can hear vital information even if the wind is howling. The multiple recharge methods mean the MMR-88 emergency radio will always be up and running (as will your mobile devices) and the heavy duty rubberized caps mean that even if you drop it the MMR-88 won’t quit on you. If there’s a drawback to the Sangean MMR-88 emergency radio it’s the lack of ability to power it using standard alkaline batteries. But they had to save space somewhere and the fact that you can hand crank it at any time means alkaline backup is really just a luxury anyway. At the end of the day you’d be well prepared if you had the MMR-88 in your emergency kit.

The KA500IP emergency radio from Kaito is that company’s second entry on our list and a cousin of the KA500 reviewed above. Like its relative the KA500IP Red emergency radio is engineered to provide you a tough, reliable source of information in the event of natural disaster and it does its job well. There are multiple ways to keep the Ni-MH battery charged including hand crank and solar panel. Or, if you prefer, the unit will accept 3 AA batteries as a power source. It will pick up as many as 7 NOAA weather alert stations as well as standard AM/FM channels and the whole thing is wrapped in a tough, no-nonsense shell with a handy, adjustable nylon carrying strap.

The ability of the KA500IP emergency radio to receive shortwave signals is a major plus for a survival radio. When coupled with the myriad charging options, the compact size and easy transport with the convenient nylon strap this emergency radio starts off on the right foot and keeps going. The hand crank is generally smooth and trouble free and the telescoping antenna reaches up high to snag signals and collapses down small for storage. The panel on this solar powered radio can be swiveled any which way to catch the sun and once powered up the replaceable Ni-MH battery can be used to recharge your mobile devices. The LED flashlight and table lamp are there to make sure you’re never stranded in the dark; which is important when it comes to keeping everyone calm. All in all the KA500IP Red emergency radio is well worth the relatively small money you’ll invest in it. Next time Mother Nature bears down on you you’ll be glad you have it at the ready.